Key hanger support for key cases



.May 31, 1955 Mgg@ M. V. DUELL KEY HANGER SUPPORT FOR KEY CASES Filed Dec. 18, 1952 INVENTOR /Vo/mnr/ l/.afu

ATTORNEYS tru 2,709,358 KEY HANGER SUPPORT FOR KEY CASES Morgan V. Duell, Oakville, Conn.,

Incorporated, Springfield, Mass., Massachusetts assigner to Buxton, a corporation of This invention relates to an improvement in the holding or supporting means for key cases by which the individual hangers in the form of loops or hooks on which the keys are carried, are releasably secured in the case. More particularly it relates to an improvement of such holders of the type in which the holder includes a tubular portion having one or more transverse slots cut therein and merging into enlarged openings for receiving an enlarged head formed on the key hanger.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of the parts providing greater ease of manipulation of the parts in connecting and disconnecting the key hangers from the holder.

A further object is the provision of a simplified structure, providing a more secure assembly of the parts.

Other and further objects and advantages residing in the details of construction will be made apparent 1n the following specification and claims and in the disclosure of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a front elevational view embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the structure shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the body of the holder is formed;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the locking member of the holder is formed;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of Fig. 2 on a larger scale showing the parts in locking position;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the parts in unlocked position;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view substantially on line 8 8 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar form.

The body of the holder is preferably formed from a at blank of metal as generally indicated at 1 in Fig. 3. As there shown the upper portion of the blank 1 is provided with a series of slots 2 which terminate in enlarged openings 3 in part at least olset from the slots. The upper edge is formed with spaced lugs 4 and 5 between which are formed recesses 6 and 7 later more fully described. Adjacent its lower edge the blank is provided with rivet receiving openings 8 by which the holder may be secured to a leather key case, a portion of which is shown at 9 in Fig. 7. Intermediate the enlarged openings 3 and the lower edge of the plate the blank is formed with a spring receiving opening 10 at one end of which is formed a spring retaining tongue 11.

The upper portion of the blank 1 is bent or rolled downwardly to form a tubular portion generally indicated at 12.

A locking member or slide 13 is slidably the tubular portion for limited longitudinal Member 13 is preferably formed from a at dicated at 14 in Fig. 4. The upper edge of a key holder substantially on line 7-7 to Fig. 5 showing a modiiied mounted in movement. blank as inportion of 2,799,358 Patented May 31, 1955 blank 14 is formed with a plurality of generally U-shaped notches 15 separated by fingers 16. Intermediate the base of the notches 15 and the lower edge of the slide the blank is formed with a spring receiving opening 17 at one end of which is formed a spring retaining tongue 18. To one side of opening 17 and in substantial alignment with tongue 18 a slit 19 is formed, which as later described acts in cooperation with lug 4- of the tubular member to guide the locking member in its movement and limit the sliding movement of the locking member relative to the tube. On the opposite side of opening 17 member 13 is cut away to form an edge 23 in alignment with the upper edge of slit 19.

Blank 14 is provided with a finger grip forming portion 26 on that end of the blank toward which the offset portion of openings 3 are directed. The blank 14 is shaped for assembly with the body portion of the holder by bending the lingers 16 forwardly, as viewed in Fig. 4, to conform to the curvature of the inner face of barrel portion 12 and linger grip 2i) is bent forwardly at right angles to the plane of the blank, as showny in Fig. l.

Prior to the completion of the bending or rolling of the upper portion of blank 1 into iinished tubular form the slide or locking member 13 is inserted in the tubular portion so that upon completion of the bending or rolling operation the lug 4 enters the slit .19 and lug 5 engages against the horizontal edge 23. The free edge of the tubular forming portion overlies the openings 10 and 17, with recess 7' positioned above the openings. The two openings in effect form a chamber from the opposite ends of which extend the tongues 11 and 18 carried respectively by the plate and locking member 13. A coiled spring 21 has its end portions telescoped over the tongues 11 and 18. The tongue 11 is bent approximateiy into the plane of tongue 1S so that the upper portion of the spring is positioned within the recess 7, and the spring lies inwardly of the rear surface of the holder. 'Ihus when the holder is secured to a case 9 as indicated in Fig. 7 the spring is conned and held in its chamber and against displacement from the tongues, at the rear by the wall of the case and at the front by the free edge of the tubular portion of the holder.

The various parts are so positioned that normally the inner end of slit 19 is held against the inner end of lug 4 by spring 21 with the ringer grip 29 positioned at one end of the tubular portion 12 and with the openings 10 and 17 in part at least coinciding, the end edges of the fingers 16, in this position of the locking member 13, extending transversely across slots 2 barring the entrance of enlarged openings 3 from the slots, the fingers closing that portion of openings 3 which are in alignment with the slots 2, as shown in Figs. l, 2 and 5. The slit 1S? is of a length to permit the locking member to be moved rorn this first position, against the action of spring 21 to a second position in which the iingers 16 clear the entrances of openings 3.

The locking member is guided in its movement in the tube 12 and held against twisting by the engagement of lug 4 in slit 19 and by the engagement of lug 5 with the edge 23.

The key hangers 25, which may be of any suitable hook enlarged heads 27 having a diameter greater than the Width of slots 2 but capable ot' being passed through the enlarged openings 3. With the head of the hanger entered through an opening 3, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5 the shank of the hanger may be pressed against the converging edge of opening 3 and the side edge of the adjacent finger 16 causing the slide 13 to nieve to the left, as viewed in Fig. 5 (to the right in Fig. 1), against the action of spring 21 permitting the shank to enter the slot 2 as shown in full lines in Fig. 5, the spring returning the slide and finger to its original position thereby locking the hanger in the slot. To release a hanger from the holder the hanger 25 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 5 and pressure is applied to iinger grip 20 to move lock slide 13 against the action of spring 21 to the position shown in Fig. 6 in which tinger 16 is moved to one side to clear the entrance from the slot 2 to the enlarged opening 3, permitting the hanger to be moved, to the dot ted line position shown in Fig. 6 for removal through the enlarged opening. The end of tube 1 2 is cut away as at 28 to permit the necessary movement of grip 20.

In the embodiment of the invention above described the enlarged openings 3 are shown oiiset to one side of the slots 2. ln Fig. 9 is shown an alternative arrangement in which the enlarged openings 30 are aligned with the center line of the slots 2. In the form of Fig, 9 the slide 13 is formed with fingers 31 having extending portions 32 which extend across the slots 2, the outer edges of the extensions being at right angles to the sides of the slots while the inner edges 33 are inclined toward the adjacent edge 34 of opening 30. As in the form previously described, when the head of a hanger 1s inserted through opening 30 the shank of the hanger may be moved against the converging edges 33-34 to move the slide against the action of spring 21 to permit the hanger to enter the slot 2, the slide returning to the position of Fig. 9 under the action of the spring to releasably retain the hanger in the slot as previously described.

Preferably, whatever the form of the enlarged openings, those portions of the enlarged openings not covered by the fingers or projections which bar entrance to the enlarged openings from the slots 2 when, slide 13 is in locking position, are made suiciently large to freely receive the head of the hanger but it will be understood that the uncovered portion of the enlarged openings may' be slightly smaller than the hanger head, the slide being forced to one side by the head as the head is entered in the opening.

4What is claimed is:

1. A key hanger support for key cases which comprises a plate member having an edge portion bent to form a tube, said tube being provided with a transverse hanger retaining slot terminating in an enlarged opening, a locking member slidably mounted in the barrel and having a linger positioned to bar the entrance from the slot to the enlarged opening in one position of movement of the locking member and to clear the entrance in a second position of said locking member, said plate member and said locking member each having a spring receiving opening formed therein and extending parallel to the axis of said tube, said openings, in part at least, coinciding one with the other when the locking member is in said first position, opposed tongues extending one from an end of each of said spring receiving openings, a coiled spring having its ends telescoped over said tongues and normally retaining said locking member in said irst position, a slit formed in said locking member to one side of and in alignment with said openings, the free edge of said tube forming portion overlying said openings and said slit, said edge being recessed to receive the portion of said spring overlying said tongues and provided with a projection extending into said slit and engaging one end thereof in said iirst position of the locking member and engaging the other end thereof in the second position of said locking member.

2. A key hanger support for key cases which comprises a plate member having an edge portion bent to form a tube, said tube being provided with a transverse hanger retaining slot terminating in an enlarged opening, a portion of said opening being oiset from the slot, a locking member slidably mounted in the tube and having a projection positioned to close that portion only of the opening which is in alignment with the slot and bar the entrance from the slot to the opening in one position of the locking member and to clear said opening and its entrance in a second position of the locking member, a spring normally holding said locking member in said rst position, a finger piece, carried by the locking member at that end toward which the offset portion of said opening is directed, for moving said locking member to said second position, a spring receiving opening formed in said plate member, a tongue extending from an end of said spring receiving opening in the direction in which said enlarged opening is oiset, a spring receiving opening in said locking member, a tongue extending from an end of the last-mentioned opening in a direction opposite to said irst tongue, said spring receiving openings in part at least coinciding, one with the other, when said locking member is in said rst position, the opposite ends of said spring engaging over the ends of said tongues, the free edge of said tube forming portion overlying said openings to coniine the spring therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

